Ever since I started with the business of day jobs years ago I have believed that all my previous employers just pocketed whatever income tax they deducted from my salary. See, I did apply for my tax id number at least a couple of times, but I never really knew if anything came of it. I didn't get a slip of paper to notify me that I was legally recognized as a taxpayer.
It's not that I didn't bother. In fact, I did. My employers were just as clueless as myself. I asked who filed it, but they didn't have any idea. I even remember the messenger giving me a shrug. I guess I eventually forgot about it when I started going freelance more than three years ago.
Wanting to finally fix the business with my T.I.N. once and for all I tagged along with my mom who had to file some tax exemption stuff up at the B.I.R Legal Division yesterday noon.
Sidetrip: The B.I.R. really does exude an air of corruption, of bad work habits, of cranky, under-paid old fogeys who'd much rather do something else, if they had a better choice. My mom went to see the Chief of the Legal Division, and the guy just referred him to a lawyer who wasn't even there. My mom told me in a whisper afterwards, 'Natutulog kasi siya eh, magulo pa nga 'yung buhok 'nung pumasok ako sa office niya.' And this was, what-- 2:00 in the afternoon! Hay nakoh. Tas nagturuan pa sila sa pag-receive ng mga documents ng nanay ko.
Anyway, I went to inquire about my application if I was indeed registered at the Bureau. Mas mahaba pa 'yung pila hintay kaysa sa sadya ko dun. Shortly after handing a slip of paper with my personal information to some big burly guy behind a monitor, he told me I was in the database and wrote down my T.I.N. on the same slip.
I had it for at least four years and I didn't have a fuggin' clue!!! Oh well. It's about time I found out. And at least I don't have to hang out in a really crappy government agency to apply for one any more.
***
On the way home we dropped by at least four ukay-ukay shops. Extreme-ukay, kumbaga. (Challenge ito ha, kasi every five seconds my mom would say 'Tara na, uwi na tayo.') Panalo!!! I got some clothes for P20 each! Astig. Hehehe...
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A few hours ago Nico and I were on the phone, talking about what VH1 was showing at the time: some really, really old music videos (Bruce Springsteen, Blondie, Hall & Oates, pre-bleached Michael Jackson, etc.). We were mostly laughing at some really bad clips of bad hair and make-up, and the Commodores' bling-bling prototype outfits (think uniforms with glitter shoulder patches and trackpants with glitter stripes).
Pantot: Nico described The Commodores as 'happy black men'. I had to laugh. ;-D
Then he asked why they thought of wearing those (ridiculous) outfits, and my confused reply was 'E baka kasi gusto talaga nilang maging commodore ang ichura.' (Ang labo ng hirit ko, I KNOW! Hahahaha... Ewan, epekto siguro ng matinding exposure sa pop culture ito nung bata pa ako. Hahaha...)
As confusing as that may sound, Nico assured me that he somehow understood why I said that. (So, sinong mas malabo ngayon? Hehehe...)
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